Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Araras and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Araras: $825 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Araras
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Araras Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Araras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$825

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Araras and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Araras and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $825 per month in Araras vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Araras $825
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,353 per month in Araras vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Araras $1,353
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,881 per month in Araras vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Araras $1,881
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Araras is about 32% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Araras and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Araras 39% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.17 R$28.11

$10.92 MX$203

-52.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.95 R$206

$43.37 MX$805

-12.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 R$45.29

$11.78 MX$219

-29.29%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R$11.15

$3.81 MX$70.7

-46.19%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 R$8.27

$1.28 MX$23.81

18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 R$6.08

$0.78 MX$14.54

43.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 R$12.43

$3.17 MX$58.8

-27.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 R$21.62

$4.93 MX$91.7

-19.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$5.30

$1.41 MX$26.12

-31.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 R$7.88

$2.22 MX$41.17

-34.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 R$3.95

$1.42 MX$26.32

-48.59%

Eggs

$1.81 R$9.83

$2.52 MX$46.85

-28.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 R$45.76

$7.26 MX$135

15.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 R$22.94

$7.70 MX$143

-45.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.06 R$54.7

$12.69 MX$236

-20.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 R$12.36

$2.78 MX$51.7

-18.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.44

$1.37 MX$25.41

-13.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.81

$2.55 MX$47.37

-72.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 R$9.15

$2.12 MX$39.43

-20.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.11

$1.94 MX$36.00

-60.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 R$3.37

$1.89 MX$35.02

-67.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 R$4.87

$1.15 MX$21.29

-21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.65

$1.18 MX$21.89

-58.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 R$14.58

$4.30 MX$79.8

-37.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 R$44.17

$9.95 MX$185

-18.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.62

$1.58 MX$29.41

-57.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 R$11.76

$2.67 MX$49.60

-19.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$5.31

$0.55 MX$10.28

78.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.63 R$232

$26.62 MX$494

60.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 R$6.75

$4.97 MX$92.3

-75.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 R$7.22

$3.33 MX$61.9

-60.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.72 R$47.41

$5.36 MX$99.5

62.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.38

$1.44 MX$26.82

-31.25%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.5K R$122.3K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

8.88%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$29.4K R$159.9K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

25.31%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$36.89 R$201

$84.8 MX$1,575

-56.49%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.53 R$73.6

$23.41 MX$435

-42.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.08 R$92.9

$28.66 MX$532

-40.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.22 R$230

$57.1 MX$1,059

-25.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.23 R$143

$28.91 MX$537

-9.27%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 R$30.61

$5.14 MX$95.4

9.53%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$404 R$2,198

$207 MX$3,836

95.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,106 R$38.6K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

80.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.8 R$282

$43.35 MX$805

19.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 R$293

$41.44 MX$770

29.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 R$485

$74.2 MX$1,378

20.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 R$422

$89.3 MX$1,657

-12.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$210 R$1,143

$980 MX$18.2K

-78.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 R$1,243

$381 MX$7,072

-39.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 R$3,475

$1,708 MX$31.7K

-62.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 R$2,435

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-58.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 R$8,727

$3,943 MX$73.2K

-59.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,146 R$6,228

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-81.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

11.45

-2.88%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Araras: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Araras

$229 27.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 66.6% $152

Groceries & Markets

Araras

$177 21.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 43.6% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Araras

$123 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 8.9% $11

Eating Out

Araras

$121 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 67.4% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Araras

$68 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 103% $69

Getting Around

Araras

$54 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 7.3% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Araras

$53 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 25.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $210 in Araras versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Araras versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $255 – making Araras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Araras

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:13 2:13 AM

00:13 12:13 AM

2 h behind Araras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,866

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Araras Playa del Carmen 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Araras
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Araras vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 46% more than Araras, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,237 per month in Araras and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Araras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $210 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $404 per month in Araras and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $825 in Araras and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $825 in Araras to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.